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Monday, January 13, 2014 - Today, we human beings live in a world which is engulfed by numerous afflictions: terrorism, poverty, disease and illiteracy, just to mention a few. However, Rasoolpur, a village located 56 kilometres north from Rajanpur, which is has become a haven for the notorious criminals of the country, has emerged as a ray of light in these dire circumstances. This village is a small,celestial island amidst a world which is plagued by a myriad of crises.

The most astonishing fact about this exemplary village is that the literacy rate is close to 100%. Although the United Nations defines literacy as one’s ability to sign his or her name, the Rasoolpuris categorize those who have attained high school education as literate. With all of its 2000 inhabitants educated, Rasoolpur has achieved a benchmark for scaling the development of a region. Till now, the area has produced five PhD doctors and innumerable professionals in the fields of medical, engineering, agriculture, banking, finance, administration and teaching. The region has two high schools (one for girls and the other for boys) to educate the future scholars, and a public library, which possesses all kinds of books, ranging from those related to religion to scientific books. The nil crime rate and high level of gender equity – which is represented by the fact that even women of this village have jobs- prevalent in the village have been established only as a result of soaring level of literacy.

Furthermore, even the local people who do not hold practice any profession in an office are financially stable as they work hard on the orchards of mangoes and date palms, and conduct prolific businesses by selling their produce.

The evidence of this self-confidence among the people of Rasoolpur is the origin of countless Saraiki writers and poets from this region, such as Aslam Rasoolpuri, the most famous Saraiki writer of his time, and Mohammed Ismail Ahmadani, whose exceptional literary work in Saraiki earned him the “Khawaja Ghulam Farid Award” by Pakistan Academy of Letters twice, and the central position of the mosque, which depicts the reverence that the Rasoolpuris hold in their hearts for the religious place.

Although ethnic Balochis are in majority in the region, the local population believes in nationalism and solidarity of the state, as is apparent from surveys. In addition to all the above, the adoption of solar power to generate electricity and cleanliness of the area has resulted only from the efforts of Rasoolpur Development Society, a functional welfare organization which strives to achieve an environmentally healthy atmosphere in the village for the villagers to live in. Therefore, it can be concluded that if positivity can thrive in an area which contains dens of many of the worst criminals of Pakistan, the severe issues we face today can also be curbed, provided that we seriously endeavour to eliminate